Photo: Screenshot from Sina Weibo

Shanghai’s market regulators have launched an investigation into a local Japanese-style restaurant after a diner found live worms in her food served at the restaurant on Sunday, China Central Television (CCTV) reported on Monday. 

According to a statement released by Jiading District Market Supervision Bureau, a consumer dined at Yukiya Izakaya on Sunday reported finding live worms on the fried chicken and salmon served to her. 

The bureau’s probe showed that the consumer began dining at 7:55 pm, ordered eight dishes including fried chicken and freshly sliced salmon sashimi. 

The raw ingredients for the fried chicken and salmon had arrived at the restaurant on Saturday morning and had been stored under refrigeration upon delivery, said the statement. 

The sources of the food ingredients were legitimate. The fried chicken was prepared in the kitchen’s hot-food section, and the salmon was processed in the dedicated raw-food section, with their respective food handling operations generally following standard procedures, it said. 

Meanwhile, the dishes were served with lemon wedges. The consumer discovered live worms on the surface of the fried chicken and one remaining slice of salmon after squeezing the lemon juice onto the fried chicken and the last slice of salmon themselves. No insects or abnormalities were found on the piece of fried chicken and four slices of salmon she had already eaten, according to the statement. 

The market supervision authority reviewed the procurement and processing of the fried chicken and salmon and ruled out possibilities that the insects originated from the food, and preliminarily concluded that the worms were introduced by the accompanying lemon garnish. 

The bureau has opened a case against the business and will handle it in accordance with the law, urging the company to fulfill its primary responsibility for food safety.

According to a report by the Xiaoxiang Morning Post on Sunday, when the consumer discovered live worms, a staff member who claimed to be a supervisor refunded her order and paid her 500 yuan ($70) in compensation from the staffer’s own pocket. 

The consumer reported the incident to the police on the spot to confirm that she was not attempting extortion, and would not pursue the matter further because she did not want to make things difficult for the restaurant workers. 

However, she still hoped the restaurant would carry out self-inspection and reflection, while reminding other consumers to stay vigilant. 

Global Times